The ready availability of the U-2 combined with the pressing need for air support resulted in the U-2 being pressed into service as a recon plane, light bomber, medical aircraft, supply transport, and more. It would remain a simple, unremarkable trainer aircraft if it wasn't for the Eastern Front. It earned its nickname, Кукурузник ( Kukuruznik, Maize-man), due to its widespread use in dusting Soviet maize farms. Manufactured under the designation U-2 from 1929 onwards, it became a staple of Soviet aviation thanks to its low cost, ruggedness, and forgiving nature. ![]() One of the most common Soviet planes, the Po-2 had humble beginnings as a mass-produced trainer aircraft, designed by Nikolai Polikarpov in 1927 to replace the U-1 ( uchebnyy, trainer) plane, a copy of the British Avro 504.
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